Un-decorating Christmas . . .

Never seems as enjoyable as putting everything up had been — tree, lights, ornaments and decorations — all in anticipation of the merriest time of year. 

But, all good things eventually end which, for us, meant taking down Christmas paraphernalia last weekend. The original plan was to leave everything in place longer, but we're going on a short road trip to visit family in PA and NJ this weekend into next week. It was easier to handle this task beforehand. 

Many of our combined holiday ornaments and decorations hold special memories as many of yours do as well. Here's a look at some of ours, including details about many favorites.

All the ornaments are removed from the tree and placed on the sofa, then separated to be stored by type (wood, glass, penguins, bears, etc.). While we weren't in a hurry, it seemed to take a shorter time to pack everything away than to put it up. Before Christmas, we listened to holiday tunes and enjoyed egg nog and some home-baked treats — doesn't everyone?

There's a supply of clothespin Santas, snowmen and snowflakes. The snowmen ornaments at the bottom left were gifts from grandchildren and to ourselves.

The trio of hand-crafted gnomes were purchased on a cross-country road trip several years ago. Originally planned as gifts, they were misplaced, found after the holiday and have remained in NH. The shell wreath was a holiday gift from family. Bells because every time you hear a bell . . .

These two ornaments are among the most delicate in our collection. Both hand-painted on shells and purchased in VA. The penguin shell was purchased at a holiday craft fair on the VA eastern shore. The one on the right is the Hope and Glory Inn, Irvington, VA,  where we stayed on our honeymoon. It's one of the oldest in our collection.

The icicle ornaments are made of glass and came from VA and NH. The white ornaments (top right) are Lenox. The snowflakes were hand-crafted by a co-worker's mother many years ago and have been displayed on our NJ, VA and NH trees.

These wood-crackers made in Germany were bought years ago in NJ as holiday gifts for my late mother. After her passing, they were retrieved and are displayed in our home annually for the Christmas holiday. The angel was another holiday gift, the snowman a thrift store buy.

There's a number of Boyds bears ornaments on our tree, mostly bears and penguins, and oddly enough not a frog in this group. The fire engine bear is a reminder of Grenville's former profession as a NJ firefighter. 

These Boyds bears figurines which, of course, include a penguin and frog are displayed on  bookcases during the holidays. All were purchased years ago when we lived in NJ.

The figurines in the above photo hold special memories. The happy couple are vintage salt and pepper shakers that belonged to my mother. The bear sled is a music box that was gifted by Anne, a special NJ friend a few years before her passing. Displaying these at Christmas never fails to bring back memories of both.

Charlie Brown and friends were waiting to be put away until next Christmas (the tree had already been repacked). These were purchased at an after-Christmas sale in PA several years ago for the incredible price of $1 each. I haven’t seen any like these since then.

These bears and moose were ready for a long hibernation in the storage unit; however, a few others remain around the apartment year-round.

The un-decorated tree was taken apart and placed back into its box. Ironically, the year we had planned to purchase a live tree, management issued a notice that these were no longer permitted (fire and safety reasons). As we were out shopping that day, we bought this tree which alternates holiday seasons with the village display. After being un-decorated, Grenville disassembled it and with the packed totes all were ready for a return to the storage unit. Conveniently, storage units are located a short walk down the hallway as there's no basement or garage storage here.

There was a water shutdown at the mill apartments this week and since temps were frigid, we went to the Pheasant Lane Mall in Nashua, NH, to walk around. We hadn't been there before the holidays and Santa had already left. Workers were removing his spot and all the holiday decorations. Very soon, the Easter Bunny will be taking up a seasonal residence, possibly on the same couch.

Do you take down decorations right after Christmas, New Year's Day or later ?

An addendum to this post to share that a fellow blogger, Jon, mentioned here before, has been going through tough times with various medical issues. Hospitalized on Christmas Eve, he's currently in a TN rehab facility. Jon has shared details openly on his blog Lone Wolf Concerto, and his most recent post (Cold Night's Journey) included a mailing address to which I'm sending a card. If you are so inclined, perhaps you would also send a note or card of encouragement for the New Year, just a suggestion.